Owendale may have put himself in the Breeders’ Cup. The winner of the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby on Sunday night at Remington Park, Owendale could make his next start in one of two Breeders’ Cup races, trainer Brad Cox said Monday. The horse is under consideration for either the $6 million Classic or the $1 million Dirt Mile, both Nov. 2 at Santa Anita. Owendale was scheduled to fly home to his Churchill Downs base Tuesday. “First and foremost, we want to see how he comes out of the race,” said Cox, who trains Owendale for Rupp Racing. Owendale earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 97 for his win in the Oklahoma Derby, his third Grade 3 victory this year following the Lexington in April at Keeneland and the Ohio Derby at Thistledown in June. He also finished third in the Preakness Stakes. “He seems to be getting better all the time,” Cox said. “He really has matured since last year. We thought he had talent. It’s taken him a while to put everything together. I think he’s kind of grown up mentally and physically over the last six months and become a real racehorse.” Owendale was a maiden winner last year in five starts at 2 and this year is 4 for 7 with 2019 earnings of $921,300. In the 1 1/8-mile Oklahoma Derby, Owendale broke from post 10, advanced four wide around the final turn, then drew off to a 1 3/4-length win in 1:49.29 under regular rider Florent Geroux. “I was very pleased with the race,” Cox said. “Florent saved as much ground as he could going into the first turn given the post.” Cox liked the confident move from Owendale on the final turn and his willingness to battle in the lane. “He responded when Florent asked him to go,” he said. The Oklahoma Derby produced a Breeders’ Cup winner in 2017, when runner-up Battle of Midway returned in his next start to capture the Dirt Mile at Del Mar. Owendale was second choice Sunday behind Mucho Gusto, a four-time Grade 3 winner who was coming off a third-place finish in the Travers at Saratoga. Mucho Gusto pushed the pace in the Oklahoma Derby and finished fourth, beaten two lengths, while earning a Beyer Figure of 95. “I think I’m going to freshen him,” trainer Bob Baffert said Monday. Tax, the winner of the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga, was scratched from the Oklahoma Derby and could train up to the Breeders' Cup Classic, trainer Danny Gargan said Sunday. Tax flew into Remington on Wednesday from his Belmont Park base. “He spiked a shipping temperature the day we got there,” Gargan said Sunday. “It came right back down [but] we decided to wait and do the right thing by the horse.” Gargan said Tax was to fly back to New York on Tuesday. Following the results of the preps Saturday, the Classic has become a consideration, Gargan said. – additional reporting by Jay Privman